Sunday, February 17, 2008

Some of Charlotte's most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes put on their smartest suits and sassiest dresses on Saturday to strut their stuff for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The annual Guys and Dolls auction was held at the Hilton Center City and drew about 700 people who bid on their favorite bachelor or bachelorette to raise money for the foundation. One of the highest bids went to the CFF's own Sabrina Watt at $1,750. Her extensive date package included a coveted pair of UNC-Duke tickets.

Sadly, Rod Smart of the Carolina Panthers was the only bachelor to remove his shirt.

But all fun aside, the night was really about the fundraising for children with CF.

At the beginning of the night, auctioneers Brotha' Fred and Morgan Fogarty of Fox News Edge announced that more than $100,000 had already been raised. About 90 cents of every dollar goes toward research to find a cure for the disease.

Simmons Trapp, a 17-year-old senior at Myers Park High School who has CF, gave an inspiring speech about her and her younger sister's daily struggles with the disease, which earned her a standing ovation.

Watt told me that after door sales, the money from the silent auction and bids were tallied, she was projecting the final total for the fundraiser to reach $150,000.

Look for pictures from the auction on Friday in my Party Pix slideshow.

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Sarah Aarthun is the Observer's pop culture writer. When she's not devouring Entertainment Weekly or writing about local and national celebrities for The 'A' List in the Observer, she can be found at hot spots around town.